Government leaders from 15 European countries gathered at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters October 12 as part of a U.S. State Department-sponsored study tour. The group, which included religious affairs administrators for Romania, France, and the Czech Republic, was hosted by the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA).

Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church, welcomed the leaders, focusing on both the international nature of the 12 million-member Adventist Church and its almost 150-year-old commitment to promoting freedom of belief for all people. “One of the values we have had from the beginning is religious liberty,” he said. “We want to preserve it for others as much as we want it for ourselves.”

Adventists face a special challenge because of their day of worship, Saturday, which sometimes causes employment difficulties or conflicts with school times, scheduled exams, and state elections, said Dr. Bert B. Beach, IRLA vice president and director of inter-church relations for the Adventist world church. Beach also told the leaders about the church’s commitment to providing health care and humanitarian assistance around the world.

James Standish, director of legislative affairs for the Adventist Church, said later that the meeting represented an important opportunity to dialogue with people who play a key role in the religious affairs of their countries.

Other leaders among the group included a high-level administrator from the Russian Federation, the president of the Center of Legal Philosophy in Belgium, chief official for the section of registers in Lithuania, and an advisor for Ukraine’s National Committee for Religious Affairs.